SHAMROCK

After being shut down in 2020 due to our event’s coinciding with the very stressful March shelter-in-place order, we are back and all virtual for 2021! Please join Stratford Debate for our 3rd (should-be-4th) annual Shamrock Invitational! We are so glad to have been able to put this event together for 2021.

EVENTS
The biggest change will be that Speech will be asynchronous this time! We will be requesting all Speech entries to be recorded and submitted the week before the tournament. Speech Judges will have rounds allocated to them the Monday-Thursday, March 8-12, the week of the tournament, and they will have 24 hours to submit their ballot before the next round is assigned. During the second day of the tournament (3/14), however, we will host a live Speech Finals, which will be streamed live on YouTube for spectators. This will be our first speech elimination round ever!

We are allowing for double entry between Debate and Speech events. If a student wants to enter LD, or PF, they may also enter up to 2 speech events. If students would like to double-enter in Speech events, we will have a protocol for students to enter a maximum of 2 Speech events. Students double-entered will need to speak first, and then they must transfer to their other room to finish out the round.

The debate judge pool will be combined at this tournament, so we will not guarantee that judges will stick to a single format throughout the event. Judges, please read the judging materials below prior to the event to help prepare yourselves for the tournament.

Debate
We will continue to have Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas formats. This is a novice tournament, so middle-school competitors only, please. While this is a Novice tournament, we will not use the Novice topics for either event.

Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln-Douglas will use the March-April 2021 Topic. Competitors are not permitted to do live research during rounds. All competitors must be prepared to provide cards to judges & opponents at the start of each round to streamline cross and minimize the ability to spontaneously look up information mid-round. On Sunday, LD debaters will complete a fifth round and then break into quarters, semis, and finals. The Semifinal and Final rounds will be streamed live on YouTube for coaches, teammates, family and friends (streaming information TBA).

Public Forum
Public Forum will also use the March 2021 topic. Again, students are not permitted to do live research during rounds. All competitors must be prepared to provide cards to judges & opponents at the start of each round to streamline cross and minimize the ability to spontaneously look up information mid-round. On Sunday, PF debaters will complete a fifth round and then break into quarters, semis, and finals. The Semifinal and Final rounds will be streamed live on YouTube for coaches, teammates, family and friends (streaming information TBA).

Speech
We are hosting Original Oratory and Duo Interpretation (subject to change) again this tournament, along with Expository, Interpretation (Dramatic & Oratorical), Humorous Interpretation. Any category with fewer than 10 entries will not participate in the live finals; they will be ranked and receive their results via tabroom. The regular 10-minute maximum times will be in place for these events.

All competitors may enter in up to two (2) Speech events, even if they are already entered in one of the debate formats, as Speech will be asynchronous, and the Speech finals will not coincide with the Debate finals. But, with the prospect of a live final, we do not want rounds delayed because of triple- or quadruple-entered competitors, so we are limiting Speech to double-entry only. Should a double-entered competitor reach multiple final rounds, that speaker will need to speak first in one event, and then they must transfer to the other room to speak last in their second event.

Speech events will not have a final round if the event category has fewer than ten (10) registered competitors.

JUDGES, PLEASE NOTE: For the asynchronous speech rounds, judges will be assigned 1 round per day from Monday, March 8 - Thursday, March 12, for a total of 4 rounds. Judges will have 24 hours to submit their ballots before the next round is assigned. The final prelim round ballots will be due by Friday night. Saturday, we will tabulate the rankings and break sometime before the conclusion of the event that day so that we can host live finals on Sunday night, streamed on YouTube (streaming information TBA).

To ensure that speakers give the best presentation possible to the judges, and to ensure the judges can tabulate ballots easily and provide constructive feedback, please follow the NSDA guidelines for timing for speeches. Ensure you have good lighting in the room so judges can see you, and check your sound quality and volume for your recordings. If judges cannot see you, or can barely hear you, that will negatively affect your scores.

We are hosting Original Oratory and Duo Interpretation (subject to change) again this tournament, along with Expository, Interpretation (Dramatic & Oratorical), and Humorous Interpretation. All prep times will conform to the standard times.

LOGISTICS
This tournament will be all digital through NSDA Campus. Speech will be asynchronous this year with live final. Rounds will be announced via e-mail and SMS, and ballots will be tabulated digitally. Competitors, coaches, and judges, please test your technology the week of the tournament, and have a back-up plan in the event of a power or internet outage.
All schedule times are subject to change. In order to respect everyone’s time, if we can move the event forward earlier (without trimming the length of the lunch break), we will attempt to do so. This requires, however, that judges be responsive and available if the round times move up.

We will fine missing judges. Competitors can accrue 1 forfeit loss. If they do not show up for a round after accruing one forfeit, we will drop them from the tournament in order to proceed in a timely fashion.

SPECTATING RULES
For logistical reasons, spectators will not be allowed in rounds. For the elimination rounds, we will provide live streams through YouTube so that competitors, coaches, family, and friends can watch the event. This will begin at the Semifinals for Debate, and the Finals for Speech.

TECH POLICY
No electronic communication is allowed within round with anyone outside the round.
Recording of any kind in a debate round is forbidden. You cannot record yourself, you cannot record your opponents, and you cannot observe a round and record it, with video or audio. Video recording of any kind, of any kind, even if it is by a parent, is not allowed, as it would also contain audio recordings of the debate arguments and other minors. There are many thorny legal issues in the state of California surrounding recording of others in private spaces, and especially of minors, without prior consent, so please, just don't. We reserve the right to disqualify and expel competitors for recording on either their part or their parents’.

REPORTING
Reporting violations is up to the coaches; if you receive notice from a competitor that there was illegal use of wifi, or someone recording in rounds, please note the room number, round number, event, and names of your competitors.

LATE-START AND FORFEITS
If your opponents do not show up within 15 minutes of the round's start time, please text 1-669-244-2195 with your round type, section number, and team information. It is incumbent upon the team, or the coach, to report no-shows in order to receive a forfeit.

If a judge does not show up, either report it to the same phone number with the and round type, section number and tabroom will find a replacement judge and fine the team for the missing judge.

2021 STRATFORD SHAMROCK INVITATIONAL

13-14 March 2021

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